Energy auditing grows in popularity, raising caveats for homeowners

By Caitlin Coakley
CHARLOTTE — Energy auditing certification has become an increasingly popular career alternative for a variety of professionals from struggling contractors to environmentalists. However, the popularity of energy auditing has not been lost among the less scrupulous, either.
“Last year, there were people getting into this who would say that they were certified, and I’d look them up, and they weren’t,” said Chris Folse, president of AltruEnergy Building Performance.
Folse, a contractor, said he decided to get certified in energy auditing as a way to keep his professional prospects timely.
“It looked like an emerging business that was interesting to me … something that probably would see some future business,” Folse said.
However, he said he has been struggling because there are so many other contractors offering energy auditing services, many of whom, he said, do not have the proper training.

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3 comments

Energy audits, the beginning of the process. Very well put. There will be those entering who are unqualified and worse than that, severely underqualified. A seven day class with a field test does not make a building scientist. Certification qualifications are nothing without years of field experience under a truly qualified professional. Consumers would be wise to speak with those serviced in the past, to inquire at length about specific experience and request sample reports. This area is growing rapidly and benefits society. We need to minimize the bad eggs.

I just want to say that I went to Everblue for both LEED and BPI Building Analyst training and I think they’re a real stand up organization that puts on great classes. My husband is a general contractor and the things that I learned in their classes have both made our business grow while protecting our planet.